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The rate of Hispanic homeownership in the U.S. is dwindling in comparison to the rate of Hispanic population growth.

Despite being 17 percent of the country’s current population, Hispanic homeownership is at an all-time low, reaching a rate of 45.4 percent in 2014, a decline from 46.1 percent in 2013, according to the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate and the Pew Research Center.

Hispanics consecutively made up more than half of the U.S. population growth from 2000 to 2010 and growth is expected to double in the next 20 to 30 years, according to a 2014 report by the State of Hispanic Homeownership.
As a result, Hispanics are expected to account for the largest share of household growth. READ MORE AT FIUSM

“When people say, ‘networking’, they’re really talking about meeting new people who working in the same industry that they do. In normal parlance, this could be called, ‘making friends’,” she wrote, adding that having good connections is critical in any profession.

Making use of natural opportunities to connect with people can be easier than you think.
Start Internally

Networking with your colleagues is easily overlooked, but in some ways is the most efficient way of networking. READ MORE AT AUSTRALASIAN LAWYER

A new poll finds African-American and Hispanic millennials are just as technologically connected and likely to get news through social media as regularly as their white counterparts, further narrowing the risk of people of color being left behind technologically.

Overall, 57 percent of millennials say they get news and information from Facebook at least once a day, and 81 percent say they get it from Facebook at least once a week. The poll also found that Hispanics and African-Americans are just as likely as any millennials to have a paid news subscription.

There was little differentiation between racial groups getting news from Facebook, the poll found. But about half of African-American millennials said they comment on news stories posted to Facebook, compared to about 3 in 10 whites and Hispanics.

The findings suggest that, despite fears that millennials — those 18-34 years old — may not be going to traditional sources for news, they are clearly getting news from social media. READ MORE AT U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT

Hispanics have grown steadily more confident in their personal finances over the past year, as well as the U.S. economy as a whole, according to a new survey by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative.

When Hispanics were asked about their current personal finances, 62 percent reported they are better off than a year ago, up from 45 percent in August 2014. In addition, when asked their perceptions of personal finances a year from now, 72 percent of Hispanics surveyed expect their financial situation to be better in 2016, up from 50 percent in August 2014.

Optimism toward business conditions also improved as the percentage of those who expect the country to experience good times financially in the next 12 months rose to 54 percent in July compared to 40 percent in August 2014. READ MORE AT ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL

DISCUSSION PANELISTS

Ozzie Guillen JR, Marketing & Recruiting Manager, Latino Market, New York Life Chicago

Born in Las Vegas Nevada and raised in Caracas Venezuela. Ozzie graduated from Colombia College. Prior to beginning a career in New York Life Ozzie worked in Sports Marketing Media and entertainment. Ozzie entered the financial services industry in 2013 as an Agent. Ozzie then came to New York Life in 2014 as the Senior Director of Marketing. He specializes in recruiting the Latino Market.

Lourdes Martinez, General Manager, Colonial Life

Lourdes Martinez has been in the insurance industry for 17 years. She is the founder of Agsant Group Inc. since 2009 and represents Colonial Life, which is a company that works directly with businesses to help with the attraction and retention of key employees as well as help them navigate through the obstacles they face with the new laws and regulations of the health care reform. Because of the ten years of experience with Colonial Life, she was chosen to represent the Hispanic Industry in the Midwest region. Currently with Colonial Life she has been awarded the Achieving Continuous Excellence Award, Leaders Conference Qualifier as well as Silver Premium Pacesetter Award. She enjoys being a part of the community and to spend quality time with her family and friends.

George Burciaga, CEO, elevate DIGITAL

Born in Chicago’s Pilsen community, George is no stranger to struggle, adapting and overcoming obstacles. In fact, he leverages this skill set in today’s business practice.

George Burciaga launched his most recent technology firm, elevate DIGITAL in 2012. elevate is transforming consumer communication at street-level with its “Citizen Mobility Experience”, a platform which provides an eco-system of content, messaging, services, and predictive data across connected SMART devices. The platform engages users by touch, digital content, sensoring, and enabling Cities to connect everyone. Elevate’s technology is being deployed across the country and has secured partnerships with global technology partners and Fortune 500 clients.

Burciaga started his career while at DePaul University, where he developed and implemented BIOS correction software with clients like BMO/Nesbitt and licensed the technology to Microsoft. George is also the founder and CEO of smarTECHS.net, a Chicago-based national IT firm specializing in application, infrastructure and project management development for clients in both private and public sector. This firm played a significant role in the redevelopment of New Orleans after Katrina, the first City of Chicago Digital-Divide plan (recognized by Washington) and the participation in the elevate Miami project. Burciaga was honored in Washington by two U.S. Presidents as a National Technology Business leader and received the Inc. 5000 award as well.

An active civic leader, Burciaga has a strong commitment to community service and development. He started the “Follow Me” program, in which he visits Chicago-area high schools and encourages students to attend college. Burciaga also participates in the annual Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center’s “Future Founders” program.Burciaga was also selected to serve as a Chicago United board member, and is a current member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and several other national advisory councils.
Raised by his grandparents in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and attending Chicago Public Schools, Burciaga found himself in a position to become innovative by necessity. He is the first college graduate in his family and currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Trina, and their three children Sofia, Giana, and Lorenzo.

Jenny Sepulveda, CEO & Managing Broker, Luxe Marketing & Sales

Luxe Marketing is Jenny Sepulveda's most recent business venture - an all-inclusive marketing, branding, recruiting and business development firm committed to providing elegant and effective cross-industry service. The firm will also act as a recruiter for real estate companies.

Luxe Marketing has access to talent in a wide variety of industries, from real estate to digital marketing to art & design. By mobilizing its diverse team of professionals, Luxe Marketing can develop complete marketing packages that present your business or event perfectly.

Jenny Sepulveda is an unstoppable force in the world of real estate and philanthropy. Jenny started her career as a real estate agent with Koenig & Strey Gold Coast and after five years began her career in management with prestigious real estate firms serving as a managing broker. She has proven her ability to grow a company, and has recruited, trained, and coached over 200 employees into becoming successful sales agents. Chicago Agent Magazine identified Jenny as a real estate powerhouse in their 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 “Who’s Who in Real Estate” issues. She decided to embark in her vision of opening a boutique firm that feels as cozy as your living room, a place where agents have the choice to work in a living room environment, a café bar area or in a traditional desk environment. It’s an experience for the agent who wants an environment that not only focuses on real estate but balancing your life with a wellness department. Starting her career in a boutique environment office, she realized that was the kind of office she wanted but with a new spin on real estate.

Mario Farfan, Assistant Vice President, Small Business Banking, Barrington Bank & Trust

Mario Farfan is an Assistant Vice President of small business banking at Barrington Bank & Trust. Mario focuses on building relationships with businesses in Palatine, Barrington, and Hoffman Estates. He is dedicated to meeting potential clients, helping them grow and become profitable. Mario joined Wintrust in 2014 and was previously a branch manager at PNC for six years. He is a graduate of DeVry University and lives with his family in Gilberts, IL.

MODERATOR

Ruth Diaz, Reporter, EYC News

Ruth Diaz is an international latina model & entertainer TV reporter that has worked in Paraguay, London, Miami, LA, Las Vegas, NY and Chicago. She was the main model for La Tan and Beaute Ultrasonic by America Beauty Elite, Vision Latina Magazine Chicago and Nescafe Paraguay. She appeared on the 5th season in Nuestra Belleza Latina 2011 in the USA and later the next year in Protagonistas, both Shows aired national in the U.S. on Univision Network. Ruth Diaz models for Latino Fashion Week in Chicago each year starting 2010. Reports for Chicago 3 Media, Vida Mujer Telemundo Chicago & Las Vegas. Currently, Ruth is an independent entertainment TV reporter for Azteca Chicago. READ MORE

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A new study concludes that high-paying jobs have grown the fastest in the economic recovery, casting doubt on the widespread lament that low-wage jobs have dominated payroll growth since 2010.

The report, by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, says its findings are more accurate than prior analyses that cite a prevalence of low-paid jobs because it evaluated occupations rather than industries.

Based on that measure, nearly 3 million, or 44%, of the jobs added from 2010 to 2014 were high-paying positions with salaries above $53,000. Only 1.9 million, or 29%, of the newly formed jobs were middle-wage ($32,000 to $53,000) and 1.8 million, or 27%, were low-wage (less than $32,000). READ MORE AT USA TODAY

We hear every day that the U.S. population is browning. With each passing year, more and more people are classified as Latino/Hispanic. Unfortunately, this population is affected by our health system’s shortcomings in vast and unique ways, and they are diverse in ways most do not understand. Yet, the group is growing in number and influence and undeniably changing the landscape of the U.S. health system. Below are five things health care leaders and policymakers need to understand about the future of Latino power.

1. Shifting Demographics

In total, Latinos currently make up 17% of the total population – or about 54 million people living in the U.S. This percentage, according to Pew Research Center estimates, is expected to increase to almost 30% by 2050. While politicians have been clamoring after this demographic, health care leaders have greatly failed to see their potential for influencing the future. READ MORE AT FORBES

The Hispanic market is growing so fast in America that it is altering the economy and changing the way we do business. But there’s another group that can make or break your business: Hispanic millennials.

Millennials are the key money-makers for most U.S. businesses. In fact, millennials are shaping the new America and forcing corporate leaders to re-evaluate their marketing strategies. They are expected to spend more than $200 billion annually by 2017 and $10 trillion in their lifetime, according to Erin Mulligan Nelson, CMO of SunPower Corp. Hispanics are the fastest-growing category within the millennial market. So if you want to capture this audience, you have to learn all you can about them. READ MORE AT ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL

Did you know that successful job seekers don’t treat finding a job as a “fulltime” vocation? According to the recent national study conducted by the Career Advisory Board established by DeVry University, this is one of the many misnomers from the data collected from the study which included over 550 active and passive job seekers in the U.S.

This survey conducted by the university’s Career Advisory Board, in March, included successful job seekers between the ages 18-60 years old and surprisingly showed that 45% of the respondents spent less than an hour a day on their job search, while 47% spent less than three hours a day looking for a job. This result surprised the career experts who have in the past advocated a “full-time” job search effort. READ MORE AT CHICAGONOW

Fewer than two-thirds of patients suffering a stroke in the United States call for emergency assistance, with Hispanics least likely to do so, new research finds.

"These results are not surprising since stroke survivors from minority race and ethnic groups have worse outcomes after stroke compared to non-Hispanic whites," said study lead author Heidi Mochari-Greenberger, an adjunct associate research scientist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.

If you suspect a stroke, it's critical to call 911 immediately. Stroke treatment must start quickly in order to control brain damage, and research shows that an ambulance ride is the quickest route to treatment, Mochari-Greenberger said. READ MORE AT HEALTHDAY

Earlier this week, I was happy to receive the 12th annual Ad Age Hispanic Fact Pack. Each year, I analyze the Hispanic Fact Pack from a digital lens and, once again, it contains clear and compelling data for marketers to allocate budgets to target online Hispanics.

Here are five reasons marketers should be targeting digital Hispanics that I gleaned from this year’s Hispanic Fact Pack:

1. Hispanics are voracious consumers of digital content

Targeting Hispanics via digital channels makes sense because Hispanics spend a ton of time consuming it. The 2015 Hispanic Fact Pack tells us... READ MORE AT MEDIAPOST

Leticia Castanon concentrated on the difference between the words “must” and “should” scribbled on a white board in a McHenry County College classroom.

If she wants to master the English language, she should study, the 45-year-old wife and mother thought.
And if she wants to get a job that pays better than her current gig in fast food, Castanon, a Mexican immigrant, told herself she must learn English.

“I need it to better understand people,” Castanon said. “I started five or six years ago learning English.”
There are four people in Castanon’s English as a Second Language course at McHenry County College, and more than 540 in all ESL classes college-wide, school enrollment data shows.

Just shy of 87 percent of students enrolled in ESL classes are Hispanic. These students are among a growing group of Hispanics trudging through the nuances of the English language. READ MORE AT DIVERSE EDUCATION

If you want to find a job you love, you have to have high standards. You have to know what you want and what you’re worth, and you can’t be willing to settle for anything lower than that.

But that doesn’t mean you can hold the job-hunting process to the same standards. In fact, it’s far too easy for job hunters to go into the job search with unrealistic expectations about how the process will work—expectations that often result in disappointment.

To get through the job hunt successfully, you have to stop believing in these myths and instead focus on more effective ways to get the attention of—and ultimately impress—the hiring manager. READ MORE AT USA TODAY

Hispanic Americans--particularly those who speak Spanish on a regular basis--don’t shop in the same way and don’t buy the same things as other Americans, according to a report, The Hispanic Shopping Activity Service, the product of an alliance between The NPD Group and Univision Communications Inc. (UCI), the leading media company serving Hispanic America.

Hispanics spend approximately $170 billion a year in general merchandise, grocery and drug store channels and represent 14% of all buying visits. But given the extraordinarily rapid increase in the U.S. Hispanic population (Hispanics accounted for more than half of U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2013), the impact of Hispanics on retail is certain to rise.

Other findings... READ MORE AT CSPNET.COM

It's no secret that networking events are a great place to meet prospective clients, customers and strategic business allies on a professional, as well as personal, level. But unfortunately, many of us go to these events and eat the food, drink the cocktails, chat with a few strangers, and then never make any meaningful connections.

To increase your chances of interacting on a more personal level and gaining new clients and friends, it's important to set up an appointment to meet at a later date to explore the possibilities of connecting on a more personal level. READ MORE AT ENTREPRENEUR

Mexico's factories continue to expand and the country is expected to be the manufacturing growth leader in Latin America through 2016, according to a report from the MAPI Foundation, the research affiliate of the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation.

The report, authored by Fernando Sedano, Ph.D., MAPI Foundation economic consultant, focuses on Latin America's three largest economies—Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico—as these countries are responsible for more than 80% of the manufacturing output in the region. READ MORE AT INDUSTRY WEEK

The latest Audio Today report from Nielsen spotlights the growing influence of Hispanic radio consumers in the American media landscape.

The study, titled “State of the Media: Audio Today, A Focus on Black & Hispanic Audiences,” looks at data from the second quarter of 2015 and points to an all-time high for the second year in the row in terms of the broad national radio audience: currently, there are a whopping 245 million Americans 12 or older using radio each week. READ MORE AT BILLOBOARD

The irony of job search advice: There’s so much available that you don’t have to spend more than four seconds Googling about before you land on some nugget of wisdom or another.

Yet, at the same time, there’s so much available (some of which completely contradicts other advice you’ll find) that it can easily overwhelm you. Which, in fact, is probably the exact opposite outcome you’re looking for when you go sleuthing for genuinely useful counsel in the first place.

So let’s do this: Let’s boil things down to a short list of sound, timeless job searching tips that’ll help you fine-tune your strategy so that you may sail through the process (or at least cut out some of the unnecessary time and frustration). READ MORE AT USA TODAY

A new survey by JPMorgan Chase shows increasing use of mobile banking applications by the general public.

The survey of 1,500 adults showed that mobile app usage has increased by 33 percent overall from a year ago, while banking online has increased 35 percent during the same period.

Hispanics appear to be leading the charge toward mobile banking with nearly half of those surveyed using banking apps and bank websites more than a year ago. They are also using banking apps while on the go at a higher rate than the rest of the population. The survey also found that... READ MORE AT SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL

They make up the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, yet Hispanics are increasingly locked out of home ownership because of tighter lending standards that rely on outdated measures of creditworthiness.

Comprising more than 17 percent of the population right now and projected to double, Hispanics are a political and economic force to be reckoned with. And they potentially represent an answer to turning around a sagging national home ownership rate that’s approaching levels not seen since before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The national rate of home ownership fell to 63.8 percent over the first three months of 2015. The last time it was lower was the final quarter of 1989, when it stood at 63.7 percent.

The problem for Hispanics, who in 2014 had an ownership rate of 45.4 percent, a 14-year low, is that conventional tools for gauging creditworthiness are locking them out in large numbers. READ MORE AT TRI-CITY HERALD